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| The Count of Monte Cristo | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| French | Le Comte de Monte-Cristo |
| Directed by | Matthieu Delaporte Alexandre de La Patellière |
| Screenplay by | Matthieu Delaporte Alexandre de La Patellière |
| Based on | The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas |
| Produced by | Dimitri Rassam |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Nicolas Bolduc |
| Edited by | Célia Lafitedupont |
| Music by | Jérôme Rebotier |
| Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Pathé |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 178 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Languages |
|
| Budget | €42.9 million |
| Box office | €75.7 million / $100 million |
The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is a 2024 French historical action adventure film based on the 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas. Written and directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière, the film stars Pierre Niney in the role of Edmond Dantès.
The Count of Monte Cristo had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 22 May 2024, and was released theatrically in France a month later by Pathé. With a budget estimated at €42.9 million, the film is the most expensive French production of 2024. It has sold over 9 million admissions in France, where it is the second highest-grossing film of 2024. Worldwide, it has grossed $100 million, and received critical acclaim.
Plot
In 1815, sailor Edmond Dantès defies orders to rescue a shipwrecked woman from the Mediterranean Sea. The woman, Angèle, carries a letter from the exiled Napoleon, which Captain Danglars seizes. Upon reaching Marseille, Danglars reports Edmond to shipowner Morrel, but Morrel dismisses Danglars for neglecting his duty to aid survivors and promotes Edmond in his place.
Edmond returns home to share the news with his fiancée, Mercédès Herrera, and her cousin, Fernand de Morcerf, who harbors feelings for her. Edmond asks Fernand to be his best man at their upcoming wedding. However, on the wedding day, Edmond is arrested and accused of being a Bonapartist. Brought before Gérard de Villefort, Marseille's deputy prosecutor, Edmond maintains his innocence, prompting Villefort to consider releasing him. However, Edmond reveals he knows Angèle's identity. Villefort detains him further while interrogating Danglars and Fernand.
Villefort conspires with Danglars and Fernand to ensure Edmond's imprisonment. Angèle, Villefort's sister, demands Edmond's release and threatens to expose Villefort's affair with Danglars' wife. To silence her, Villefort enlists Danglars to eliminate Angèle. Edmond is imprisoned in the Château d'If, where he meets fellow inmate Abbé Faria, who educates him in languages, science, and culture over eight years. Faria also reveals the location of a vast treasure on the island of Monte Cristo. Before their planned escape, Faria is fatally injured by a tunnel collapse. Edmond takes Faria's body to his cell, hides in the burial sack in its place, and, after being thrown into the sea, escapes and swims to freedom.
Returning to Marseille, Edmond learns his father has died, and Mercédès has married Fernand and moved to Paris. Edmond journeys to Monte Cristo, where he finds the hidden treasure. A year later, he reemerges as the Count of Monte Cristo, intent on revenge. He locates Angèle, sold by Danglars into prostitution, now dying. She reveals she once tried to expose Villefort's crimes, including his attempt to bury his illegitimate son, André, alive. Angèle rescued André, placing him in an orphanage. Edmond takes André under his wing, renaming him Prince Andrea Cavalcanti, and makes him a key player in his plans.
The Count orchestrates a series of schemes against his enemies. He stages a rescue of Fernand's son, Albert, earning Fernand's trust. Through Albert, the Count gains introductions to Danglars and Villefort. He also reunites with Mercédès, who recognizes him despite his changed appearance. Meanwhile, Edmond uses Andrea to charm Eugénie, Danglars's daughter, and introduces Haydée, a beautiful woman under his protection, encouraging her to captivate Albert.
Edmond's revenge unfolds with precision. News spreads of Danglars's fleet disappearing, causing his stocks to crash. Fernand, using his access to military intelligence, informs Danglars that the reports are false. Danglars borrows money from Monte Cristo to recover his losses, using his assets as collateral. At a trial where Danglars seeks to sue the newspaper for defamation, Andrea reveals himself as Villefort's illegitimate son, exposing Villefort's past crimes. Villefort, humiliated, leaves the courtroom, sparing his former mistress from scandal. André, driven by revenge, assassinates his father but is killed while fleeing. Haydée, devastated by André's death, turns against the Count, holding him responsible.
As Haydée and Albert plan to leave, they are confronted by the Count, who demands that Haydée reveal the truth of Albert's father's betrayal to her father, Ali Pasha of Janina. Enraged, Albert challenges the Count to a duel. Mercédès confronts Edmond, pleading for her son Albert's life. Edmond agrees to spare Albert, ending their duel without bloodshed. He encourages Haydée and Albert to find happiness together. Mercédès leaves Fernand, who confronts Edmond in desperation. The two duel, with Edmond emerging victorious. Refusing to kill Fernand, Edmond leaves him to live with his disgrace and losses.
Edmond leaves his estate, embarking on a life of travel. In a final letter to Mercédès, he writes: "All human wisdom is contained in these two words: 'Wait and Hope'".
Cast
- Pierre Niney as Edmond Dantès / Lord Halifax / Abbé Busoni
- Bastien Bouillon as Fernand de Morcerf
- Anaïs Demoustier as Mercédès Herrera
- Anamaria Vartolomei as Haydée
- Amaya Ducellier as young Haydée
- Laurent Lafitte as Gérard de Villefort
- Pierfrancesco Favino as Abbé Faria
- Patrick Mille as Danglars
- Vassili Schneider as Albert de Morcerf
- Julien de Saint Jean as Andrea
- Julie de Bona as Victoria
- Adèle Simphal as Angèle de Villefort
- Marie Narbonne as Eugénie Danglars
- Bernard Blancan as Louis Dantes
Production
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The film is written and directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière and produced by Chapter 2 and Pathé Films. They were revealed to be working on the project in November 2020. It is co-produced by M6 Films, Fargo Films, Logical Content Ventures and Umedia.
With a budget estimated in €42.9 million, The Count of Monte Cristo is the most expensive French film of 2024.
Casting
Pierre Niney was cast in the lead role in February 2023. In July 2023, Anaïs Demoustier, Laurent Lafitte, Anamaria Vartolomei, Bastien Bouillon, Patrick Mille, Vassili Schneider, and Julien de Saint Jean were cast in the film.
Filming
Principal photography got underway in the summer of 2023.
Release
The film was selected to be screened out of competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 22 May 2024, and earned a nearly 11-minute standing ovation at the end of its screening.
It was theatrically released by Pathé in France on 28 June 2024. It was theatrically released by Entertainment Film Distributors in the UK on 30 August 2024. The film had its international debut at the 2nd Mediterrane Film Festival on 22 June 2024. It also played at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival on 19 July 2024, and has been scheduled to screen in a gala presentation at the 2024 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival. It made its U.S. premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival on 11 October 2024.
It was featured in the Limelight section of the 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam to be screened in February 2025.
Music
The music of the film is composed by Jérôme Rebotier and released by Milan Records.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tempête" | 3:19 |
| 2. | "Mercédès" | 1:58 |
| 3. | "Le trésor" | 3:57 |
| 4. | "Dorul (Chanson d'Haydée)" | 3:49 |
| 5. | "Haydée" | 1:42 |
| 6. | "Edmond et Mercédès" | 3:10 |
| 7. | "L'arrestation" | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Le mariage" | 1:01 |
| 9. | "Vengeance (Thème de Monte Cristo)" | 1:36 |
| 10. | "Le château d'If (Version longue)" | 3:26 |
| 11. | "Dantès rejoint Faria" | 2:21 |
| 12. | "Mort de Faria" | 1:48 |
| 13. | "Le domaine" | 2:08 |
| 14. | "Le bal d'Eugénie" | 1:51 |
| 15. | "Dantès reprend des forces" | 1:00 |
| 16. | "Haydée supplie Albert" | 1:40 |
| 17. | "Le piège se referme" | 2:05 |
| 18. | "Le duel" | 2:05 |
| 19. | "L'évasion (Part 1)" | 2:36 |
| 20. | "L'évasion (Part 2)" | 1:40 |
| 21. | "La mort du cerf" | 2:07 |
| 22. | "Le revenant" | 1:27 |
| 23. | "La folie" | 2:03 |
| 24. | "Chasse à courre" | 1:02 |
| 25. | "L'éducation d'André" | 1:40 |
| 26. | "Le récit d'Angèle" | 4:23 |
| 27. | "Les années Faria" | 1:25 |
| 28. | "Le dîner d'Auteuil" | 3:33 |
| 29. | "Les plans" | 1:55 |
| 30. | "Albert et Haydée" | 1:07 |
| 31. | "Les traîtres" | 2:12 |
| 32. | "Le racket" | 2:20 |
| 33. | "Opium" | 2:40 |
| 34. | "Monte Cristo" | 2:20 |
| 35. | "Le trésor (Reprise) - Adieux à Eugénie" | 2:49 |
| 36. | "L'assassinat (Version longue)" | 3:24 |
| 37. | "Albert rejoint Haydée" | 2:35 |
| 38. | "Monte Cristo raconte à Mercédès" | 1:37 |
| 39. | "La haine de Fernand" | 0:59 |
| 40. | "La confrontation" | 3:45 |
| 41. | "La vie d'après" | 4:12 |
| Total length: | 96:18 | |
Reception
Box office
As of September 2024, the film had sold 9 million tickets in France and grossed over $75 million internationally with most major markets yet to open. As of 29 December 2024 the total worldwide gross was €100 million according to French website Cine-directors.net. It finished 2024 as the second-most watched film in French cinemas in the year, with more than nine million tickets sold.
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 67 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Condensing Alexandre Dumas' hefty tome into a brisk and lavishly appointed action-adventure, this French adaptation of The Count of Monte-Cristo hits the sweet spot with rapier-like precision." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. On AlloCiné, the film received an average rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on 40 reviews from French critics.
Accolades
On 11 September 2024, The Count of Monte Cristo was one of the 4 films shortlisted by France's Oscar committee for consideration as the country's official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. The film also made the January longlist of 10 titles in the Best Film Not in the English Language category at the 2025 British Academy Film Awards.
| Award | Year | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabourg Film Festival | 2024 | Golden Swan for Best Film | The Count of Monte Cristo | Won | |
| Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival | 2024 | Audience Choice | Won | ||
| Fantasia International Film Festival | 2024 | Cheval Noir for Best Film | Won | ||
| Goya Awards | 2025 | Best European Film | Pending | ||
| Lumière Awards | 2025 | Best Director | Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière | Pending | |
| Best Actor | Pierre Niney | Pending | |||
| Best Cinematography | Nicolas Bolduc | Pending |
References
- ^ "The Count of Monte Cristo (2024)". Unifrance. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (26 March 2024). "298 feature films produced by France in 2023". Cineuropa.
- ^ "The Count of Monte-Cristo (2024)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- "LE COMTE DE MONTE-CRISTO (2024)". jpbox-office.com. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Box Office mondial 2024". www.cine-directors.net. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- "Charts - LES ENTREES EN FRANCE - JP Box-Office". www.jpbox-office.com. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- "Alexandre de la Patellière et Matthieu Delaporte vont revisiter "Le comte de Monte-Cristo"". Le Film français. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- Keslassy, Elsa (9 February 2023). "Pathe, Chapter 2 Team on Alexandre Dumas Epic Saga 'The Count of Monte Cristo' Starring Pierre Niney (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ Balle, Catherine (28 June 2024). "" À film exceptionnel, dispositif exceptionnel " : pourquoi " Le Comte de Monte-Cristo " sort un vendredi ?". Le Parisien (in French).
- Douhaire, Samuel (10 February 2023). ""The Count of Monte-Cristo" with Pierre Niney: has the imagination of French cinema gone?". Télérama. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- Labylle, Anouk (10 February 2023). "Pierre Niney in turn dons the costume of the Count of Monte-Cristo". newsinfrance. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- "The film "The Count of Monte-Cristo" with Pierre Niney has unveiled the rest of its cast, here it is". euro.dayfr.com. 24 July 2023. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- "The Screenings Guide of the 77th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- Tartaglione, Nancy; Aboul Kheir, Nada (22 May 2024). "'The Count Of Monte-Cristo' Receives Nearly 12-Minute Ovation At Cannes World Premiere". Deadline. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (23 May 2024). "'The Count Of Monte-Cristo' Cast & Filmmakers On Giving French Classic Another Go-Round – Cannes". Deadline. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- Sales Ross, Rafa (23 June 2024). "Mediterrane Film Festival Opens Second Edition With 'The Count of Monte Cristo' and a Focus on Uniting Mediterranean Nations". Variety. Archived from the original on 24 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- "The Count of Monte Cristo". Fantasia International Film Festival. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- Carson, Lexi (6 June 2024). "Montreal's Fantasia International Film Festival Unveils 'Bookworm' Starring Elijah Wood as Opening Film, Plus Second Wave of Titles (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- "Plenty to savour at this year's edition of Sudbury's International Film Festival". CBC News. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- Bergeson, Samantha (12 September 2024). "Hamptons International Film Festival 2024 Announces New York Premieres of 'Conclave,' 'Bird,' and 'The End'". IndieWire. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- "The Count of Monte Cristo". Hamptons International Film Festival. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- "Limelight: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
- "Le Comte de Monte Cristo Soundtrack (2024)". www.soundtrack.net. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- Elsa, Keslassy (10 September 2024). "'Monte Cristo': Pathe Boss Ardavan Safaee Shares Strategy Behind French Box Office Reign, and Company's English-Language Plans (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- Henley, Jon (10 January 2025). "Crime, comedy and The Count of Monte-Cristo: French flock to cinemas to watch homegrown films". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
- "The Count of Monte Cristo". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- "The Count of Monte Cristo". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- "Critiques Presse pour le film Le Comte de Monte-Cristo" (in French). AlloCiné. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- Elsa, Keslassy (11 September 2024). "France's Oscars Committee Reveals International Feature Shortlist Including 'Emilia Perez,' 'The Count of Monte Cristo'". Variety.
- "Longlists, 2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 3 January 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- Baronnet, Brigitte (16 June 2024). "Le Comte de Monte-Cristo avec Pierre Niney, 3 prix pour Hors-saison... Découvrez le palmarès du Festival du film de Cabourg". AlloCiné (in French).
- "'The Count of Monte-Cristo' big winner at Cinéfest Sudbury". Village Media. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- Hazelton, John (28 July 2024). "French epic 'The Count Of Monte-Cristo' named best film at Fantasia". Screen Daily. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- Sánchez, Alberto Sisí (18 December 2024). "Premios Goya 2025: lista completa de nominaciones". Vogue España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 19 December 2024.
- Jamet, Constance (12 December 2024). "Emilia Perez récolte six nominations aux prix Lumières et poursuit son envolée". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 14 December 2024.
External links
- The Count of Monte Cristo at IMDb
- The Count of Monte Cristo at AlloCiné (in French)